By Royalbroil - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
Explore Horicon Wisconsin - The City on the Marsh!
Horicon is a city in Dodge County, Wisconsin. The population was 3,655 at the 2010 census. The city of Horicon is located at the southernmost tip of the Horicon Marsh. Tourists flock to the area every year to see the migration of the Canada geese.
Thousands of birds pass through the Horicon Marsh each spring and fall, while many stay and raise their young. Located at the southern edge of this world famous marsh, Horicon is the Healing Host to all who come to enjoy... any time of the year... bird or human. Experience the marsh aboard a pontoon boat, canoe or kayak, picturesque golf with an abundance of wildlife roaming close by, camping along Rock River amidst terrain of glacial origin, or just take a romantic relaxation rest at one of the top 10 Romantic Bed and Breakfast Inns in the United States.
Hassle Free Horicon welcomes you with what you need while visiting…laundry, hardware, pharmacy, convenience stores as well as gift shops that sell home grown yarn, John Deere themed gifts, marsh and bird art work and, don't forget, the largest thrift store in Dodge county... 25,000 square feet.
Come Celebrate with us:
- 5th Annual Living History Days ~ May
- 15th Annual Horicon Bird Festival ~ Mother's Day Weekend
- Tour de Marsh ~ First Saturday in June ~ Kick Off of a bike, auto or walking tour that lasts all year long.
- Horicon Aquatic Center Open June through August
- Music at the Market with Horicon Farmers Market~ Wednesday nights June through August
- City wide Rummage Sale ~ Usually Thursday before Father's Day
- Horicon Firemen's Auction ~ Last Saturday of August
- Labor Day Fireworks Weekend ~ Saturday and Sunday
- 37th Autumn Art on the Marsh Art and Craft Sale ~ 4th Sunday of September
- Satterlee Clark Christmas Open House ~ First Sunday afternoon in December
Economy
Horicon is home of the John Deere Horicon Works, which produces lawn and garden tractors, golf and turf reel mowers, and utility vehicles. Daniel Van Brunt, the inventor of the grain-drill and founder of what became John Deere Horicon Works, also founded Horicon Bank in 1896.
The "Dodge County Pionier" took over the "Horicon Reporter" in 2009 to cover news in Horicon the surrounding area.
Education
The School District of Horicon serves the area. It consists of Van Brunt Elementary School and Horicon High School.
Horicon National Wildlife Refuge
In 1927, the Wisconsin State Legislature, after pressure from conservationists beginning in 1921, passed the Horicon Marsh Wildlife Refuge Bill, providing for the construction of a dam to raise the water to normal levels and for the acquisition of the land by the government. During the 1940s, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service bought the northern portions of the marsh. Today the northern two-thirds, approximately 21,400 acres (87 km2), forms the Horicon National Wildlife Refuge. It is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Presently, the marsh is 32,000 acres (130 km2) in area, most of it open water and cattail marsh. The southern third, approximately 11,000 acres (45 km2), is owned by the state of Wisconsin and forms the Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area, which was established as a nesting area for waterfowl and resting area for migratory birds. It is managed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Millions of waterfowl, including over 200,000 Canada geese, migrate through the marsh.
The refuges are habitats for many species of birds, especially ducks, pelicans, great blue herons, and Canada geese (which have become increasingly common since the 1980s), as well as fish, frogs, snakes, turtles, muskrats, insects and plants.
Horicon Marsh was designated a Ramsar site on December 4, 1990.
